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DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

FRANKLIN  K.  LANE.  SECRETARY 

NATIONAL  PARK  SERVICE 

STEPHEN  T.  MATHER.  DIRECTOR 


EARLY  HISTORY 

OF 

YOSEMITE  VALLEY 


CALIFORNIA 

I 

r-r^  By 

_  RALPH  S.  KUYKENDALL 

NATIVE  SONS  HISTORY  FELLOW.  1918-1919 


Reprint  of  an  article  published  in  The  Grizzly  Bear 

(Official  Organ  Native  Sons  and  Native  Daughters  Golden  West) 

July,   1919 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFRCE 

1919 


^^^ 


^\ 


1 


t  • 


*  •      *   •■    •   ■      • 
•     •        •  •      •     •  • 


CRN!  A 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  YOSEMITE  VALLEY,  THE  MASTERPIECE 
OF  NATURE'S  HANDIWORK. 


[By  Ralph  S.  Kuykendall,  Native  Sons  History  Fellow,  1918-19.] 
INTRODUCTION. 

Ralph  S.  Kuykendall,  in  this  excellent  article,  makes  several  new 
contributions  to  the  early  history  of  the  Yosemite  Valley.  He  has 
unearthed  a  number  of  official  reports  and  other  contemporary  docu- 
ments bearing  on  the  subject  which  have  never  before  been  used  bj? 
writers. 

One  of  the  documents  is  the  first  letter  ever  written  in  the  Yose- 
mite. This  and  another,  from  both  of  which  extensive  quotations 
are  made  in  this  article,  constitute  Capt.  Bowling's  report  of  the 
second  expedition  of  1851.  By  the  use  of  this  new  material  Mr. 
Kuykendall  has  been  able  definitely  to  determine  for  the  first  time 
the  exact  date  of  the  discovery  of  the  Yosemite,  and  to  fix  the 
chronology  of  the  several  military  expeditions  that  were  made  into 
this  region  in  1851  and  1852.  (Herbert  E.  Bolton,  professor  of 
American  History  and  curator  of  the  Bancroft  Library,  University 
of  California.) 

THE  INDIANS. 

The  beginnings  of  human  life  in  the  Yosemite  Valley  are  shrouded 
in  impenetrable  mystery.  As  we  seek  to  trace  back  the  history  of  the 
people  who  were  occupying  the  region  when  white  men  first  entered 
its  fastnesses  we  come  almost  immediately  into  the  realm  of  myth  and 
legend,  from  which  it  is  impossible  to  extract  any  element  of  at- 
tested fact.  But  from  the  Indian  legends,  filtered  through  the 
imagination  of  the  white  folk,  we  can  draw  out  a  fairly  consistent 
story,  which,  in  the  absence  of  authentic  history,  may  serve  as  an 
introduction. 

j'  From  time  immemorial  there  had  dwelt  in  the  fair  valley  of  Ah- 
wahnee  the  powerful  tribe  of  the  Ahwahneechees.  To  this  place 
they  believed  the  Great  Spirit  had  led  them  from  their  original  home 
in  the  far-distant  west.  In  their  new,  high-walled  home  the  Ahwah- 
neechees were  secure  from  attack,  and  their  warlike  prowess  made 
them  feared  and  respected  by  all  the  other  tribes  of  the  mountains. 
But  at  length  an  evil  time  came  upon  them.  Wars  and  a  fearful 
pestilence  decimated  the  tribe.  The  valley  was  held  to  be  accursed, 
and  the  feeble  remnant  of  its  inhabitants  fled  to  their  neighbors  or 
to  the  wild  tribes  across  the  mountains.  For  many  years  the  valley 
was  deserted. 

But  a  certain  noble  youth  of  the  tribe,  who  had  gone  among  the 
Monos,  married  a  maiden  of  that  tribe,  and  to  this  pair  a  son  was 
born,  who  was  named  Teneiya.    Now  Teneiya,  when  he  had  grown 

134443—19  3 

4?, 5830 


•  •  •      •  • 

4  •:.••.  Vj^AJli^  .tllSTOEY  OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

•  •••         •    •     •  ••  •  *•• 

to^\iJi5]^*^{{jf6;ipemen7l?,ered  the  home  of  his  fathers.  So  he  gathered 
to'g^i^V  tlTe■•ren^iftalttfe*6^*the  tribe  and  returned  with  them  to  the 
vale  of  Ahwahnee ;  and  they  prospered  and  once  more  became  power- 
fuL  And  one  day  it  happened  that  a  young  brave,  going  to  the  Lake 
of  the  Sleeping  Water  to  spear  fish,  Avas  met  by  a  monster  grizzly 
bear,  and  a  terrific  battle  ensued,  from  which  the  Indian  emerged 
victorious,  though  grievously  wounded.  After  this  the  young  chief 
was  called  Yosemite,  or  the  large  grizzly  bear,  and  finally  the  name 
came  to  be  applied  to  the  whole  tribe. 

Thus  far  the  legend.  But  with  Teneiya  we  come  to  an  historical 
personage,  the  last  chief  of  the  Yosemite  Indians.  He  was  ruling 
over  the  tribe  when  the  white  men  came  to  the  valley.  When  asked 
about  the  name  Yosemite  he  is  reported  to  have  said  that  when  he 
was  a  young  chief  this  name  had  been  selected  for  the  tribe — 

because  they  occupied  the  mountains  and  valleys  which  were  the  favorite 
resort  of  the  grizzly  bear,  and  because  his  people  were  expert  in  killing  them. 
That  his  tribe  had  adopted  the  name  because  those  who  had  bestowed  it  were 
afraid  of  "  the  grizzlies  "  aid  feared  his  band/ 

Ethnologically  the  natives  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  belonged  to  the 
Mariposa  dialect  group  of  the  southern  Sierra  Miwok  Indians,  and 
the  ethnologists  assure  us  that  the  Indian  name  for  the  valley  was, 
and  still  is,  Awani  (Ahwahnee),  which  was  the  name  of  the  prin- 
cipal village  in  the  vallej^,  and  by  extension,  the  name  of  the  people 
also.  The  ending  tci  (or  chee),  signifying  location  or  origin,  is 
sometimes  added  to  Awani  (or  Ahwahnee)  when  speaking  of  the 
people.  The  name  Yosemite  is  simply  a  corruption  of  the  term 
which  the  southern  Miwoks  applied  to  any  species  of  bear  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  grizzly ,2  and  was  given  to  the  valley,  as  we  shall  see, 
because  the  white  people  who  first  came  in  contact  with  its  native 
inhabitants  called  them  Yosemites. 

FIRST  VISIT  OF  WHITE   MEN. 

There  is  no  evidence  to  show  that  white  men  entered  Yosemite 
Valley  before  the  spring  of  1851.  There  is  some  reason  to  believe 
that  the  Joseph  R.  Walker  expedition  of  1833  descended  the  western 
!«lope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  along  the  ridge  between  the 
Merced  and  the  Tuolumne  Rivers  and  looked  down  into  the  Yosem- 
ite Valley  from  its  northern  wall,  but  our  best  authority  for  that 
expedition,  the  contemporary  or  nearly  contemporary  narrative  of 
Zenas  Leonard,  a  member  of  the  party,  states  clearly  that  they  did 
not  succeed  in  their  efforts  to  go  down  into  a  valley  which  he  de- 
scribes in  terms  that  have  been  taken  to  apply  to  the  Yosemite.  As 
early  as  1806  a  Spanish  missionary  and  reconnaissance  expedition 
went  half  a  day's  march  up  the  Merced  River,  and  other  Spanish  ex- 
peditions crossed  the  Merced  at  later  times,  but  none  of  these  seem  tr 
have  gone  farther  up  the  river  than  the  lowest  foothills.  (A  year  or 
two  before  1851  James  D.  Savage,  while  m  pursuit  of  Indians, 
reached  a  point  within  a  few  miles  of  the  valley.  But  the  real  dis- 
covery of  this  masterpiece  of  nature's  handiwork  was  made  in  1851, 
as  an  incidental  result  of  the  effort  to  settle  the  Indian  problems 
which  had  arisen  in  that  region. 

iL.  H.  Bunnell,  Discovery  of  the  Yosemite,  63-4,  „     „     .    „        ...     .^.^ 

2  A.  L.  Kroeber,  in  Univ.  Calif.  Publ.  Am.  Arch.  Ethn.,  XII,  68  ;  S.  A.  Barrett,  in  ibid., 
VI,  343,  and  map  opposite  page  348. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY;  6 

INDIAN  WAR  OF  18  50-51. 

When  the  white  men  flocked  into  the  foothills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  in  search  of  gold  it  was  not  long  before  difficulties  arose 
with  the  Indians.  What  happened  here  was  the  same  thing  that 
had  happened  everywhere  on  the  frontier — the  red  man  had  to  give 
way  to  the  white;  but  he  did  not  do  so  without  a  struggle.  This 
struggle,  it  is  true,  was  comparatively  short,  since  the  California 
Indians  were  not  capable  of  maintaining  a  long  contest.  The  war  in 
the  Mariposa  country  was  only  one  episode  in  the  red  man's  fight  to 
keep  possession  of  his  ancestral  home,  but  it  is  the  only  part  of  it 
which  we  need  to  consider  in  this  connection. 

In  the  beginning  of  1850  James  D.  Savage  had  a  trading  post  and 
mining  camp  on  the  Merced  River  some  20  miles  below  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  which  was  at  that  time  unknown  to  the  whites.  During  the 
spring  of  that  year  Indians  supposed  to  belong  to  the  tribe  known 
as  the  Yosemites  made  an  attack  on  this  post.  They  were  driven 
off,  but  Savage  thought  it  best  to  abandon  the  place  and  remove  his 
store  to  Mariposa  Creek.  He  also  established  a  branch  post  on  the 
Fresno  Kiver  and  at  both  places  built  up  a  prosperous  trade.  Savage 
had  several  Indian  wives  and  obtained  a  really  remarkable  influence 
over  the  Indian  tribes  with  which  he  was  connected.  But  there  were 
malcontents  amon^  them  and  the  tribes  in  the  mountains  were  sus- 
picious and  easily  incited  to  acts  of  hostility. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1850,  Savage's  Indians  deserted  the 
Mariposa  camp  and  on  the  same  or  the  following  day  his  post  on 
the  Fresno  was  attacked  and  two  of  the  three  men  there  present 
killed.  Adam  Johnston,  the  Indian  agent,  describes  the  scene  as  it 
Avas  two  days  later  when  he  visited  it : 

It  presented  a  horrid  scene  of  savage  cruelty.  The  Indians  had  destroyed 
everything  they  could  not  use,  or  carry  with  them.  The  store  was  stripped  of 
hlankets,  clotliing,  floui*,  and  everything  of  value ;  the  safe  was  broken  open  and 
rith^d  of  its  contents ;  the  cattle,  horses  and  mules  had  been  run  into  the  moun- 
tains ;  the  murdered  men  had  been  stripped  of  their  clothing  and  lay  before  us 
filled  with  arrows ;  one  of  them  had  yet  20  perfect  arrows  sticking  in  him.^ 

Several  other  similar  outrages  occurred  soon  after  and  signalized 
the  beginning  of  a  general  Indian  war. 

THE   MARIPOSA   BATTALION. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  white  settlers  took  prompt  action 
to  protect  themselves.  Under  the  lead  of  Sheriff  James  Burney  and 
James  D.  Savage,  a  volunteer  company  was  formed,  Januarj^  6,  1851, 
with  Burney  in  command.  This  force  had  several  indecisive  skir- 
mishes with  the  Indians.  Meanwhile  the  governor  had  been  appealed 
to  and  he  immediately  authorized  Sheriff  Burney  to  call  out  200 
militiamen  and  organize  a  battalion  for  service  as  the  emergency 
might  demand.  Under  this  authorization  the  Mariposa  Battalion 
(as  it  was  popularly  called)  was  formed,  February  10,  at  Savage's 
partially  ruined  store  on  Mariposa  Creek.  Savage  was  elected 
major,  Burney  having  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  the  position, 
and  three  companies  were  organized  under  command  of  Capts. 
John   J.   Kuykendall,  John   Bowling,   and  William   Dill.     Head- 

1  Adam  Johnstoa  to  Gov.  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Jan.  2,  1851,  in  Journals  of  California 
Legislature,  2  Sess.   (1851),  p.  565. 


/ 


6  EAKLY  HISTORY   OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

quarters  were  established  on  Mariposa  Creek  and  here  the  battalion 
was  drilled  in  preparation  for  the  campaign,  and  occasional  scouting 
forays  were  made  into  the  enemy's  country. 

INDIAN    COMMISSIONERS   TO   RESCUE. 

At  the  same  time  that  Gov.  McDougal  issued  his  order  for  the 
calling  out  of  the  militia  he  appealed  for  cooperation  to  the  United 
States  Indian  commissioners,  McKee,  Barbour,  and  Wozencraft,  who 
had  just  arrived  in  California  with  instructions  to  make  treaties 
with  the  Indian  tribes.  It  was  agreed  that  the  commissioners  would 
go  at  once  to  the  disaffected  region  and  endeavor  to  treat  with  the 
hostile  tribes,  and  that  the  volunteer  battalion  which  had  been  raised 
should  be  subject  to  their  directions.  If  negotiations  failed,  force 
would  be  used  to  bring  the  Indians  to  terms.  The  commissioners 
arrived  at  the  Mariposa  camp  about  the  1st  of  March,  and  imme- 
diately sent  out  runners  inviting  the  various  tribes  to  come  in  and 
have  a  talk.  A  meeting  was  arranged  for  the  9th  of  Mpch,  and 
on  the  19th  a  treaty  was  made  with  six  tribes,  which  were  at  once 
removed  to  a  reservation  between  the  Merced  and  the  Tuolumne 
rivers.  The  commissioners  then  went  on  to  talk  with  the  tribes 
south  of  the  Merced  River,  and  left  part  of  the  volunteer  battalion 
to  deal  with  the  Indians  who  had  refused  to  enter  into  the  treaty.^ 

PURSUIT    or    RECALCITRANT    INDIANS. 

Among  the  tribes  which  had  agreed  to  come  in  to  talk  with  the 
commissioners  was  one  which  the  latter  called  the  "  Yosemetos "  ^ 
and  which  Adam  Johnston,  the  Indian  agent,  refers  to  as  the 
"  Yocemete."  ^  This  tribe  had  failed  to  appear,  and  reports  brought 
in  by  friendly  Indians  indicated  that  they  had  no  intention  of  com- 
ing in.    One  of  these  friendly  Indians  is  reported  to  have  said : 

The  Indians  in  the  deep  rocky  valley  on  the  Merced  do  not  wish  for  peace, 
and  will  not  come  in  to  see  the  chiefs  sent  by  the  great  father  to  make  treaties. 
They  think  the  white  men  can  not  find  their  hiding  places,  and  that  therefore 
they  can  not  be  driven  out.* 

It  was  therefore  deemed  necessary  to  send  a  military  force  after 
them. 

On  the  evening  of  March  19,  the  very  day  on  which  the  treaty  was 
signed,  Maj.  Savage  set  out^  with  the  companies  of  Capts.  Bowling 
and  Dill,  Capt.  Kuykendall's  company  being  absent  in  the  region 
of  San  Joaquin  and  Kings  Rivers. 

1  Rep.  of  Ind.  Corns.,  Mar.  5,  1851,  in  Sen.  Docs.,  33d  Cong.  spec,  sess..  Doc.  4, 
pp.  60-63  ;  Adam  Johnston  to  Luke  Lea,  Mar.  7,  1851,  in  ibid.,  pp.  63-67  ;  Reports  and 
Corespondence  in  Journals  of  California  Legislature,  2d  sess.  (1851),  pp.  599ff,  670ff; 
W.  H.  Ellison,  Fed.  Ind.  Policy  in  Cal.  Ms.  Chapter  7 ;  San  Francisco  Cal.  Daily 
Courier,  March  10,  1851. 

2  Rep.   of  Ind.  Corns.,  loc.   cit. 

3  Adam  Johnston  to  J.  M.  Crane,  Mar.  28,  1851,  in  San  Francisco  (Calif.)  Daily 
Courier,  Apr.  2,  1851. 

*  Bunnell,   p.   38. 

5  See  Maj.  Savage's  orders,  Nos.  11  and  12,  in  Elliott's  History  of  Fresno  County, 
p.  179  ;  also  Johnston's  letter  to  Crane,  cited  above.  An  account  of  this  expedition  was 
written  by  Judge  John  G.  Marvin,  quartermaster  of  the  battalion,  from  information 
furnished  bv  Adjt.  M.  B.  Lewis  and  Lieut  [?  Coitd.  I-  H.]  Brooks.  This  account  was 
written  three  weeks  after  the  return  of  the  expedition,  and  was  printed  in  the  San 
Francisco  Alta  California,  Apr.  23,  1851.  The  account  here  given  is  based  on  that  of 
Judge  Marvin  and  the  well-known  history  by  Bunnell.  Dr.  Bunnell  was  a  member  of 
both  the  expeditions  of  1851,  but  his  first  account  of  them,  in  Hutchings'  California 
Magazine,  later  expanded  into  his  book,  was  not  published  until  May,  1859. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  7 

The  march  was  over  rugged  mountains  and  through  deep  defiles  covered  with 
snows  and  was  one  of  considerable  exposure  and  hardship.  *  *  *  part  of 
the  march  was  exceedingly  difficult  and  dangerous.  It  lay  along  a  deep  canyon 
and  a  part  of  it  had  to  be  made  through  the  water  and  a  part  over  precipitous 
cliffs  covered  with  snow  and  ice.^ 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d  a  Nuchu  rancheria  on  the  South  Fork 
of  the  Merced  River  was  surprised  and  captured  without  a  fight. 
At  this  point  a  camp  was  established  and  messengers  were  sent  ahead 
to  the  Yosemites  with  a  request  tliat  they  come  into  camp.  Next 
day  the  ohl  chief  Teneiya  came  in  alone.^  and  after  an  interview 
with  Savage  promised  that  if  allowed  to  return  to  his  people  he 
would  bring  them  in.  "  He  was  allowed  to  go.  The  next  day  he 
came  back,  and  said  his  people  would  soon  come  to  our  camp."  ^  The 
day  passed  and  no  Indians  appeared.  Maj.  Savage,  growing  impa- 
tient, set  out  on  the  morning  of  March  25  with  a  part  of  his  com- 
mand, taking  the  old  chief  along  with  him  as  guide.  After  a  little 
while  they  met  a  company  of  72  Indians  on  the  trail,  and  Teneiya 
said  that  these  were  all  of  his  people  except  some  who  had  gone  over 
the  mountains.    Savage  replied: 

There  are  but  few  of  your  people  here.  Your  tribe  is  large.  I  am  going  to 
your  village  to  see  your  people,  who  will  not  come  with  you.  They  will  come 
with  me  if  I  find  them.* 

DISCOVERY  or  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

Teneiya  was  allowed  to  go  to  the  camp  on  the  South  Fork  with 
his  people,  but  Savage  took  one  of  his  young  braves  as  a  guide  and 
continued  his  march  toward  the  north.^  Within  a  short  time  the 
company  came  to  old  Inspiration  Point  and  the  full  view  of  the 
\alley  was  presented  to  their  gaze.  It  must  be  confessed,  however, 
that  the  scenic  wonder  of  this  valley  made  very  slight  impression 
on  these  rough  men  of  action,  and  without  much  ado  the^/-  hastened 
down  the  trail  and  camped  for  the  night  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Merced  Kiver,  a  little  below  El  Capitan.  The  day  of  the  discovery 
was  March  25,  1851.^ 

As  the  tired  campaigners  sat  about  the  camp  fire  that  night  the 
events  of  the  day  were  passed  in  review  and  the  question  arose  of 
giving  a  name  to  the  valley  which  they  had  found.  Dr.  L.  H.  Bun- 
nell, upon  whom  the  scenes  and  events  of  this  campaign  made  a 
deeper  impression  than  upon  any  of  the  others,  suggested  the  ap- 
propriateness of  naming  it  after  the  aborigines  who  dwelt  there. 
The  suggestion  was  agreed  to  after  some  good-natured  banter,  and 

1  Marvin. 

2  Bunnell,  p.  45.  Marvin  says  he  brought  two  of  his  sons  with  him.  It  is  interesting 
to  notice  that  the  name  Teneiya  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  strictly  contemporary 
documents  relating  to  these  expeditions  of  1851  and  1852.  This  name  first  appeared  In 
print,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  in  Buiuioll's  short  account  in  Hutchings'  California  Maga- 
zine for  May,  1895.  .T.  M.  Hutchings'  first  account,  published  in  the  same  magazine 
for  .July,  1856,  and  based  apparently  on  information  received  from  Capt.  Bowling  and 
from  John  I).  Hunt,  a  member  of  the  battalion,  gives  the  name  of  the  old  chief  as 
.Te-ne-a-eh.  The  contemporary  accounts  call  him  Yosemite  (variously  spelled),  when 
they  refer  to  him  by  name. 

3  Bunnell,  p.  47. 
*  Ibid.,  p.  52. 

^  Ibid.,  52-3.  Marvin  says  that  Savage  took  the  old  chief  along  with  him  into  the 
valley. 

*•  This  date  is  definitely  fixed  by  Judge  Marvin's  account,  for  which  there  is  abundant 
supporting  evidence  on  this  point.  Bunnell  Is  practically  right.  He  says  (p.  70)  that  it 
was  "  about  the  21st  of  March."  J.  M.  Hutchings  (In  the  Heart  of  the  Sierras,  pp.  56-7, 
61)  in  an  otherwise  excellent  account,  blunders  badly  on  the  date,  placing  it  on  May  5 
or  6.     The  evidence  which  he  cites  proves,  in  fact,  the  impossibility  of  his  conclusions. 


8  EARLY  HISTORY   OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

since  the  white  men  called  these  Indians  Yosemites  the  name  Yosem- 
ite  was  given  to  the  valley,  rather  than  the  more  melodious  Indian 
name  Awani  (Ahwahnee)  which  already  belonged  to  it. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  a  search  of  the  valley,  but  no  Indians 
were  found  save  an  ancient  squaw  who  was  too  old  and  decrepit  to 
make  her  escape.^  Indian  huts,  evidently  deserted  but  a  few  hours 
before,  and  large  caches  of  acorns  and  other  provisions  were  found 
and  destroyed.  The  valley  was  thoroughly  explored  by  the  volun- 
teers, one  party  going  up  Teneiya  Creek  beyond  Mirror  Lake  and 
another  ascending  the  ilerced  to  a  point  above  Nevada  Fall.  The 
search  proving  fruitless  and  the  supplies  running  low  it  was  decided 
to  abandon  the  chase  and  return  to  the  camp  on  the  South  Fork. 
From  there  the  Indians  who  had  been  gathered  together  were 
started  toward  the  commissioners'  camp-  on  the  Fresno,  but  before 
they  arrived  at  their  destination  the  negligence  of  the  guard  per- 
mitted them  to  escape  and  they  returned  to  their  mountain  fastnesses. 
They  were  gone,  but  assuredly  not  forgotten,^ 

In  Judge  Marvin's  account  of  this  expedition  occurs  what  is  prob- 
ably the  first  printed  description  of  the  Yosemite  Valley: 

The  rancherias  of  tlie  Yosemitees  is  described  as  being  in  a  valley  of  sur- 
passing beauty,  about  10  miles  in  length  and  1  mile  broad.  Upon  either  side 
are  high  perpendicular  rocks,  and  at  each  end  through  which  the  INIiddle  Fork 
runs,  deep  canyons,  the  only  accessible  entrance  to  the  valley.  The  forest  trees, 
such  as  pine,  fir,  redwood,  and  cedar,  are  of  immense  height  and  size. 

About  the  middle  of  April  Maj.  Savage  led  a  fruitless  expedition 
into  the  mountains  in  an  effort  to  round  up  certain  reluctant  bands  of 
Chowchilla  Indians.  On  the  29th  of  April  the  commissioners  made 
a  treaty  with  16  tribes  of  Indians  between  the  Chowchilla  and 
Kaweah  Rivers  and  placed  them  on  a  reservation.  The  three  commis- 
sioners then  divided  their  territory,  and  each  went  to  a  different  part 
of  the  State  to  continue  their  labors,  leaving  the  volunteer  battalion 
to  complete  the  work  here  by  bringing  to  the  reservations  the  Indians 
who  were  still  lurking  in  the  mountains. 

SECOND    EXPEDITION    TO    YOSEMITE. 

On  May  4,  1851,  Maj.  Savage  addressed  to  Capt.  John  Bowling 
the  following  order : 

Sir:  You  will  with  35  of  your  company  take  up  the  line  of  march  for  the 
Yosemite  vicinities.  You  will,  if  possible,  surprise  them  and  whip  them  well. 
But  in  the  event  you  can  not  surprise  them  you  will  make  use  of  any  means  in 
your  power  to  induce  them  to  come  down  and  treat.' 

There  is  an  official  account  of  this  expedition,  written  by  Capt. 
Bowling  in  the  form  of  two  letters.  The  fii*st  of  these  was  written 
May  15,  1851,  in  the  Yosemite  Valley,  and  addressed  to  Maj.  Savage. 

1  BunneU,  chapter  5.  Marvin  says  that  they  found  "  a  very  old  Indian  and  his  wife, 
the  father  and  mother  of  Yo-Semitee  [Teneiya],  who  had  been  left  behind  to  perish  or  to 
take  care  of  themselves  as  best  they  could  *  *  *."  But  it  seems  clear  to  me  that  a 
circumstance  so  remarkable  as  this  would  hardly  have  escaped  Dr.  Bunnell.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  Marvin,  though  he  wrote  within  a  month  after  these  events,  was  not  an 
eye  witness.  As  to  the  treatment  accorded  this  withered  specimen  (or  specimens) 
Bunnell  and  Marvin  agree.  A  supply  of  wood  for  fuel  and  acorns  for  food  was  placed 
within  easy  reach. 

2  Judge  Marvin  strates  that  the  Indians  were  turned  over  to  the  commissioners,  but 
this  probably  refers  to  about  a  hundred  gathered  up  by  Capt.  Dill  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Fresno. 

3  Elliott's  History  of  Fresno  County,  p.   179. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  9 

The  second  was  written  May  29  at  the  camp  on  the  Fresno  River,  and 
addressed  to  Col.  G.  W.  Barbour,  one  of  the  Indian  commissioners. 
These  reports  have  not  heretofore  been  known  to  writers  on  the  his- 
tory of  the  Yosemite  Valley,  and  since  they  give  a  vivid  account  of 
this  expedition,  I  think  it  worth  while  to  let  Capt.  Bowling  tell  the 
story  in  his  own  words.^  Writing  from  the  "  lo-Semety  Village, 
May  15,  1851,"  he  says: 

On  reaching  this  valley,  which  we  did  on  the  9th  instant,  I  selected  for  our 
encampment  the  most  secluded  place  that  I  could  find,  kst  our  arrival  might  be 
discovered  by  the  Indians.  Spies  were  inmiediately  dispatched  in  different  di- 
rections, some  of  which  crossed  the  river  to  examine  for  signs  on  the  opposite 
side.  Trails  were  soon  found,  leading  up  and  down  the  river,  which  had  been 
made  since  the  Jast  rain.  On  the  morning  of  the  10th  we  took  up  the  line  of 
march  for  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  and  having  traveled  about  5  miles  we 
discovered  five  Indians  running  up  the  river  on  the  north  side.  All  of  my  com- 
mand, except  a  sufficient  number  to  take  care  of  the  pack  animals,  put  spurs 
to  their  animals,  swam  the  river  and  caught  them  before  tliey  could  get  into 
the  mountains.  One  of  them  proved  to  be  the  son  of  the  old  Yosemite  chief. ^ 
I  informed  them  if  they  w^ould  come  dow^n  from  the  mountains  and  go  with  me 
to  the  United  States  Indian  commissioner^,  they  would  not  be  hurt ;  but  if  they 
would  not,  I  would  remain  in  their  neighborhood  as  long  as  there  was  a  fresh 
track  to  be  found ;  informing  him  at  the  same  time  that  all  the  Indians  except 
his  father's  people  and  the  Chouchillas  had  treated.  *  *  *  He  then  in- 
formed me  that  *  *  *  if  j  vvould  let  him  loose  with  another  Indian,  he 
would  bring  in  his  father  and  all  his  people  by  12  o'clock  the  next  day. 

I  then  gave  them  plenty  to  eat  and  started  him  and  his  companion  out. 
We  watched  the  others  close,  intending  to  hold  them  as  hostages  until  the 
dispatch-bearers  returned.  They  appeared  well  satisfied  and  we  were  not 
suspicious  of  them,  in  consequence  of  which  one  of  them  escaped.  We  com- 
menced searching  for.  him,  which  alarmed  the  other  two  still  in  custody,  and 
they  attempted  to  make  their  escape.  The  boys  took  after  them  and,  finding 
they  could  not  catch  them,  fired  and  killed  them  both.  This  circumstance, 
connected  with  the  fact  of  the  two  whom  we  had  sent  out  not  returning, 
satisfied  me  that  they  had  no  intention  of  coming  in.  My  command  then  set 
out  to  search  for  the  rancheria.  The  party  which  went  up  the  left  toward 
Canyarthia  [?]  found  the  rancheria  at  the  head  of  a  little  valley,  and  from 
the  signs  it  appeared  that  the  Indians  had  left  but  a  few  minutes.  The  boys 
pursu3d  them  up  the  mountain  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  when  they 
had  got  near  the  top,  helping  each  other  from  rock  to  rock  on  account  of  the 
abruptness  of  the  mountains,  the  first  intimation  they  had  of  the  Indians 
being  near  was  a  shower  of  huge  rocks  which  en  me  tumbling  down  the  moun- 
tain, threatening  instant  destruction.  Several  of  the  men  were  knocked  down, 
and  some  of  them  rolled  a«d  fell  some  distance  before  they  could  recover, 
wounding  and  bruising  them  generally.  One  man's  gun  was  knocked  out  of  his 
hand  and  fell  70  feet  before  it  stopped,  whilst  another  man's  hat  w^as  knocked 
off  his  head  without  hurting  him.  The  men  immediately  took  shelter  behind 
large  rocks,  from  which  they  could  get  an  occasional  shot,  which  soon  forced 
the  Indians  to  retreat,  and  by  pressing  them  close  they  caught  the  old  Yosemite 
chief,  whom  we  yet  hold  as  a  prisoner.  In  this  skirmish  they  killed  one 
Indian  and  wounded  Severn  1  others. 

You  are  aware  that  I  know  this  old  fellow  well  enough  to  look  out  well 
for  bim,  lest  by  some  stratagem  he  makes  his  escape.  I  shall  aim  to  use  him 
to  the  bqst  advantage  in  pursuing  his  people.  I  send  down  a  few  of  my 
commnnd  with  the  pack  animals  for  provisions;  and  I  am  satisfied  if  you 
will  send  me  10  or  1'2  of  old  Ponwatchi's  best  men  *  I  could  catch  the  women 
and  chihlren  and  thereby  force  the  men  to  come  in.  The  Indians  I  have 
vvith  me  have  acted  in  good  faith  and  agree  with  me  in  this  opinion. 

1  Those  letters  were  printed  in  the  San  Francisco  Alta  California.  .Tune  12  and  14. 
1851.  The  first  one  is  beyond  any  question  the  first  letter  ever  written  in  the  Yosemite 
Valley. 

2  Bunnell,  p.  147,  says  thVee  of  them  were  son.*  of  Teneiya,  and  that  the  peaks  known 
as  the  Three  Brothers  received  that  name  from  the  circumstance  of  the  three  sons  of 
Teneiya    being  captured  near  them. 

8  Nuchu  Indians  captured  on  the  preceding  expedition. 


10  EARLY   HISTORY   OF   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  ^^M 

The  account  is  continued  in  the  letter  to  Col.  Barbour:       ^H 

*  *  *  Notwithstanding  the  number  of  our  party  being  reduced  to  29 
men,  by  the  absence  of  the  detachment  necessary  to  escort  with  safety  the  pac? 
train,  we  continued  the  chase  with  such  rapidity,  that  we  forced  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  Indians  to  tal^e  refuge  in  the  plains  with  friendly  Indians,  while 
the  remainder  sought  to  conceal  themselves  among  the  rugged  cliffs  in  the 
snowy  regions  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

Thus  far  I  have  made  it  a  point  to  give  as  little  alarm  as  possible.  After 
capturing  some  of  them  I  set  a  portion  at  liberty,  in  order  that  they  might 
assure  the  others  that  if  they  come  in  they  would  not  be  harmed.  Notwith- 
standing the  treachery  of  the  old  chief,  who  contrived  to  lie  and  deceive  us 
all  the  time,  his  gr^y  hairs  saved  the  boys  from  inflicting  on  him  that  justice 
which  would  have  been  administered  under  other  circumstances.  Having  be- 
come satisfied  that  we  could  not  persuade  him  to  come  in,  I  determined  on 
hunting  them,  and  if  possible  running  them  down,  lest  by  leaving  them  in 
the  mountains  they  would  form  a  new  settlement  and  a  place  of  refuge  for 
other  ill-disposed  Indians  who  might  do  mischief  and  retreat  to  the  mountains, 
and  finally  entice  olf  those  who  are  quiet  and  settled  in  the  reserve.  On  the 
20th  (of  May)  the  train  of  pack  animals  and  provisions  arrived,  accompanied 
by  a  few  more  men  than  the  party  which  went  out  after  provisions,  and  Pon- 
watchi,  the  chief  of  the  Nuchtucs  (Nuchu)   tribe  with  12  of  his  w^arriors. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  we  discovered  the  trail  of  a  small  party  of 
Indians  traveling  in  the  direction  of  the  INIonos'  country,  ^ye  followed  this 
trail  until  2  o'clock  next  day,  22d,  when  one  of  the  scouting  parties  reported 
a  rancheria  near  at  hand.  Almost  at  the  same  instant  a  spy  was  discovered 
watching  our  movements.  We  made  chase  after  him  immediately  and  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  him  before  he  arrived  at  the  rancheria,  and  we  also  suc- 
ceeded in  surrounding  the  ranch  and  capturing  the  whole  of  them.  This  chase 
in  reality  was  not  that  source  of  amusement  which  it  would  seem  to  be  when 
anticipated.  Each  man  in  the  chase  was  stripped  to  his  drawers,  in  which 
situation  all  hands  ran  at  full  speed  at  least  four  miles,  some  portion  of  the 
time  over  and  through  snow  10  feet  deep,  and  in  this  4-mile  heat  all  Ponwatchi 
gained  on  my  boys  was  only  distance  enough  to  enable  them  to  surround  the 
rancheria  while  my  men  ran  up  in  front.  Two  Indians  strung  their  bows  and 
seized  their  arrows,  when  they  were  told  that  if  they  did  not  surrender  they 
would  be  instantly  killed. 

They  took  the  proper  view  of  this  precaution  and  immediately  surrendered. 
The  inquiry  was  made  of  those  unfortunate  people  if  they  were  then  satis- 
fied to  go  with  us ;  their  reply  was  they  were  more  than  walling,  as  they  could 
go  to  no  other  place.  From  all  we  could  see  and  learn  from  those  people  we 
.were  then  on  the  main  range  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  snow  was  in  many 
^places  more  than  10  feet  deep,  and  generally  where  it  was  deep  the  crust  was 
sufficiently  strong  to  bear  a  man's  weight,  which  facilitated  our  traveling  very 
much.  Here  there  was  a  large  lake  completely  frozen  over,  which  had  evi- 
dently not  yet  felt  the  influence  of  the  spring  season.^  The  trail  which  w^e 
were  bound  to  travel  lay  along  the  side  of  a  steep  mountain  so  slippery  that 
it  was  difficult  to  get  along  barefoot  without  slipping  and  falling  hundreds 
of  yards.  This  place  appearing  to  be  their  last  resort  or  place  where  they 
considered  themselves  perfectly  secure  from  the  intrusion  of  the  white  man. 
In  fact  those  people  appear  to  look  upon  this  place  as  their  last  home,  com- 
posed of  nature's  own  materials,  unaided  by  the  skill  of  man. 

The  conduct  of  Ponwatchi  and  his  warriors  during  this  expedition  entitled 
him  and  them  to  much  credit.  They  performed  important  service  voluntarily 
and  cheerfully,  making  themselves  generally  useful,  particularly  in  catching 
the  scattered  Indians  after  surprising  a  rancheria.  Of  the  Yosemities  few 
if  any,  are  now  left  in  the  mountains.     *     *     * 

It  seems  that  their  determined  obstinacy  is  entirely  attributable  to  the  in- 
fluence of  their  chief,  wiiom  we  have  a  prisoner,  among  others  of  his  tribe 
and  whom  we  intend  to  take  care  of.  They  have  now  been  taught  the  double 
lesson— that  the  white  man  would  not  give  up  the  chase  without  the  game 
and  at  the  same  time,  if  they  would  come  down  from  the  mountains  and 
behave  themselves  they  would  be  kindly  treated. 


iThis  was  Teneiya  Lake,  named  after  the  old  chief. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  11 

Altogether  Capt.  Bowling's  command  spent  about  two  weeks  in 
■  le  valley  on  this  occasion.  The  main  purpose  of  the  expedition 
I  aving  been  accomplished,  a  return  was  made  to  the  headquarters 
jTn  the  Fresno  and  the  Indians  were  placed  on  the  reservation. 
I  Teneiya,  however,  chafed  under  restraint  and  appealed  repeatedly 
br  permission  to  return  to  the  mountains.  Finally,  on  his  solemn 
pgimise  to  behave,  he  was  allowed  to  go  back  to  the  valley,  taking 
hikmmediate  family  with  him.  In  a  short  time  a  number  of  his 
adlfcilowers  made  their  escape  from  the  reservation  and  were  sup- 
poseojo  have  joined  him.  No  attempt  was  made  to  bring  them  back, 
and  no  complaint  was  heard  against  the  Yosemites  during  the  winter 
of  1851-52. 

EXPEDITION   OF   185  2. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1852,  a  party  of  eight  prospectors  started 
fi-om  Coarse  Gold  Gulch  on  a  trip  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  Merced 
}{{iver.  They  had  just  entered  the  Yosemite  Valley  when  they  were 
set  upon  by  a  band  of  Indians,  and  two  of  them,  named  Rose  and 
Shurborn,  were  killed  and  a  third  badly  wounded.  The  others  got 
away  and  after  enduring  great  hardships  arrived  again  at  Coarse 

''  Gold  Gulch  on  tlie  2d  of  June.  The  same  day  about  30  or  40  miners 
set  out  to  punish  the  treacherous  Yosemites.  This  party  found  and 
buried  the  bodies  of  the  murdered  men,  but  they  were  compelled  to 
return  without  punishing  the  perpetrators  of  the  deed.^ 

The  commander  at  Fort  Miller  having  been  informed  of  these 
events,  a  detachment  of  Regular  soidiers  under  Lieut.  Moore,  with 

L    scouts  and  guides,  Avas  at  once  dispatched  into  the  mountains.     On 

r  arriving  in  the  Yosemite  Valley  this  expedition  surprised  and  cap- 
tured five  Indians.  Clothing  said  to  belong  to  the  mutdcrcd  mm 
being  found  upon  them,  they  were  summarily  shot.  The  remainder 
of  the  Yosemites  with  their  old  chief  Teneiya  made  their  escape  and 
fled  over  the  mountains  into  the  Mono  country.  Thither  the  soldiers 
pursued,  but  were  unable  to  catch  any  of  them.  The  party  lost  a 
few  horses,  killed  by  the  Indians,  explored  the  region  about  Mono 
Lake,  discovered  some  gold  deposits,  and  then  returned  to  the  fort 
on  the  San  Joaquin  by  a  route  that  led  south  of  the  Yosemite  Valley. 

,,   This  expedition  was  inade  in  June  and  July,  1852. 

DEATH   OF   TENEIYA. 

Teneiya  and  his  fellow  tribesmen  seem  to  have  remained  among 
the  Monos  until  the  summer  of  1853,  when  they  returned  once  more 
to  the  Yosemite  Valley.  They  repaid  the  hospitality  of  the  Monos 
l»y  stealing  a  number  of  their  horses.  This  proceeding  stirred  the 
AJ^rath  of  the  Monos,  and  they  determined  to  wreak  summary  ven- 
^reance  upon  their  erstwhile  guests.  They  put  on  their  war  paint 
£md  descended  suddenly  upon  the  Yosemites  while  the  latter  were  in 
tihe  midst  of  a  gluttonous  feast.  Old  Teneiya  had  his  skull  crushed 
Uy  a  rock  hurled  from  the  hand  of  a  Mono  warrior  and  all  except  a 
Itandful  of  his  followers  were  slain.     The  tribe  was  virtually  ex- 

t,U??°  Francisco  Alta  California,  June  10,  18,  1852.  Neither  Bunnell  nor  Hutchings 
Illation  this  expedition  of  miners.  They  attribute  the  burial  of  the  murdered  men  to 
t     1  military  expedition  that  followed-. 


TjN^— p.^c-TTY  OF  CALP^OEN 
12  EARLY  HISTORY   OF   YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

terminated,  though  a  few  of  their  descendants  still  sur\ 

that  day  to  the  present  there  has  been  peace  in  the  vale  of  xt^lhw       .f» 

TOSEMITE   IS    MADE    KNOWN. 

In  the  manner  which  has  been  described,  the  Yosemite  Vail  y 
discovered;  but  the  Californians  of  that  early  day,  and  parti.^ul  , 
those  in  the  mining  region,  had  very  little  interest  in  scener  ,nt 
discovery  of  a  rich  placer  would  have  attracted  some  atter.i.  .  *\'>pt 
mere  scenery  none  at  all.  The  wonderful  valley  remained  ^f.  < 
cally  undisturbed  for  three  years  longer.  Early  in  the  rear  18o5  one 
of  the  very  meager  descriptions  of  Yosemite  called  forth  )y  the 
events  of  1851  and  1852  came  by  chance  to  the  notice  >»f  J.  M.  1  utch- 
ings.  Hutchings  was  at  the  moment  laying  plans  for  the  publjoatio.r 
of  his  California  Magazine,  and  for  that  reason  the  mention  of  a 
waterfall  a  thousand  feet  high  arrested  his  attentior)  -   he  re- 

solved to  investigate  the  matter. 

In  June  or  July,  1855,  Hutchings  formed  a  party  ;o  visit  the 
valley,  consisting  of  himself.  Waiter  Millard,  and  U*  mas  Ay  res 
an  artist.  At  Mariposa,  a  fourth  member,  Alexander  Stair,  joinec 
the  party.  Some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  the  matter  of  a  guide 
but  finally,  through  tjie  assistance  of  Capt.  Bowling  and  some  othei 
members  of  the  Mariposa  Battalion,  two  Indians  were  found  to  per- 
form that  essential  service,  ani  in  due  time  the  party  found  their 
way  into  the  valley. 

Says  Hutchings: 

'  We  spent  five  glorious  days  in  U\i:urious  scenic  banqueting  here,  tlie  memorj 
of  wliirb  is  like  the  mercies  of  the  Almighty,  "  new  every  morning  and  frest 
every  eveninjir."  We  lett  it  reluctantly,  even  vi^hen  our  sketch  and  note-book^ 
were  i\>>  fui>  f.'i  "iv'aetion  with  elevating  treasures  as  our  souls  were  with  loving 
Ve'ti^i'at'ion  for  their  wonderful  Author. 

Upon  their  return  to  the  settlements  these  men  gave  an  enthusias 
lie  account  of  their  experiences.  Hutchings  wrote  an  article  whicl 
was  printed  in  the  Mariposa  Gazette  of  August  16,  and  parts  o 
which  were  quoted  in  the  San  Francisco  (Calif.)  Chronicle  o 
August  18.  A  picture  by  Ayfe  was  lithographed  and  publishec 
soon  after,  and  before  the  year  was  out  two  other  parties  made  theii 
way  into  the  valley.  With  the  visit  of  Hutchings,  Ayres,  Millard 
and  Stair  the  tourist  travel  to  Yosemite  may  fairly  be  said  to  havi 
begun.  , 

0 


rl 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 


Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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29]an54PB: 

Jan  1 6 1954  Li, 

10Ssp'55Pv/ 


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APff  171953^''*' ^°*65-12M 


10Sep'S9RB| 


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REC'D  LD 


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8EP1 


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TApr'MJWX 


LD  21-100ot-7,'52(A25 


SEPl    19S9      AVG29 


25Apr'RlLf 
REC'D  LD 

APR  3  0  1961 


,7M 


'65«ff 


JfC^DLD    MAR  1  7 'h -9  AM  9  5 


im 


m   10T5 


MAY  1  0  2001 


